Beginners’ Intensive Course
Duration: 3 days (Fri, Sat, Sun) 9.30 – 3.30pm: Friday 13th, Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th June 2025
Participants: 8 maximum
Level: Complete beginner
Tutor: Hendrike Barz-Meltzer
Price: £295 plus materials
Have you ever dreamed about learning to make jewellery? Are you unsure how to start? Perhaps this course is for you?
This three day course will systematically introduce the complete beginner to various jewellery making techniques in order to build up a solid set of skills, fundamental to making jewellery. Each technique will be demonstrated, then practiced on test pieces, before applying your knowledge in making a final piece in silver.
At the end of the course you will have gained a good understanding of basic jewellery making processes. You will have made a number of test items and various finished silver pieces to take home and enjoy. Whilst you are encouraged to take notes to elaborate on your learning, you will also be given various technical handouts to serve as reference in the future and a tool list (should you wish to continue or take a further course).
Pieces you will make during the course to take home and enjoy:
- A pair of silver ear studs
- A pair of long, dangly earrings
- A silver ring pendant
- Various wire working test pieces for simple findings
- Various test pieces in copper to practice the techniques below
- Printed technical handouts for reference in the future
At A Glance – what you will learn and do during the course:
Day 1 (Friday), 9.30 am – 3.30pm:
Skills to be learned: saw piercing, filing, sanding, texturing, forming
Pieces to make and take home: one pair of long silver earrings; one pair of silver ear studs
The first day will be spent learning a number of key skills with a focus on earrings in the afternoon. The aim will be to make a pair of long silver earrings as well as preparing a pair of silver ear studs which will be completed on the last day.
The essential skills you will be learning are how to saw, file and sand. You will then be introduced to various methods of texturing by using the rolling mill, hammers and stamps. You will be taught various methods of forming metals and will produce a number of test pieces in copper before moving on to making your silver pieces. In preparation for the next day you will also be learning how to make and saw apart jump rings.
Day 2 (Saturday),9.30 am – 3.30pm:
Skills to be learned: soldering and polishing using the polishing machine
Piece to make and take home: a pendant made from one or two silver rings
During the second day you will learn different ways to join metal by soldering. You will make several test pieces and then spend time making a silver ring pendant. You will learn how to shape, solder and polish a silver ring pendant.
Day 3 (Sunday), 9.30 am – 3.30pm:
Skills to be learned: wire forming techniques to make simple findings; learn how to use ready-made findings with your jewellery
Pieces to make and take home: complete a pair of silver ear studs (prepared on the first day)
The last day of the course will focus on findings, such as earring fittings and clasps, which are important elements in jewellery making.You will learn a number of wire working techniques, which will enable you to make simple findings yourself. You will also learn how to use shop-bought findings in your pieces and apply this knowledge in completing a pair of silver ear studs.
Techniques you will learn by the end of the three days:
- Saw piercing
- Hand drilling
- Filing
- Sanding
- Texturing metal using the rolling mill, hammers and punches
- Metal forming / doming
- Disc cutting
- Annealing (softening) metal
- Soldering metal using different techniques
- Polishing silver using a polishing machine
- How to make, cut and solder jump rings
- How to make simple findings (clasps, earring fittings) using various wire work techniques
- How to use bought findings and chain
Please contact us for more details on 01582 833800 or email enquiries to [email protected]